Pours a hazy golden body with plenty of head that generously laces the glass almost the whole way down. Aromas are very subdued, somewhat grainy with a faint and nebulous hop component. The taste is considerably better, with a powerful flavor of freshly pulverized grains being perfectly complemented by hoppy notes of bitter salad greens and lemon peel. The harmony could not be better. This is the perfect "day beer," one that I would be content to drink round after round.

t - Tastes of citrus hops, lemon, fruit, biscuit, grain, and bready malts. More fruit and citrus than the nose, and a bit of a step up.

m - Medium body and moderate to high carbonation in the mouthfeel. A pretty easy to drink pale ale.

o - Overall a pretty good pale ale. Not my favorite Mad Fox brew, or pale ale, but still very easy to drink. Would have liked a little more out of the nose, but the taste was good. Nose reminded me a little bit of their bitter, though the taste was a little more like their IPA's. Would have it again.

A: Sunrise, somewhat unfiltered amber in color. A 1.5 finger head dissipates quickly and leaves little to no lacing.

S: It's got an inviting lemon-biscuit quality to it. Mild yeast is detectable, and a faint kiss of hop oil resides on the back end.

T: Soft and easygoing. Wonderful for summer. A touch of floral notes up front, fruity, almost rigid hops on the mid with a nice amount of citrus. The back end yields an acidic bready-lemongrass. Slightly earthy and quite hearty. It finishes almost spot-on to their Kolsch.

M: Could use a bit more oomph in the body, but it's not really necessary. For the style it works, and well. Decent carbonation.

O: Mad Fox's English Summer Ale is a pretty great little session beer. At 5% ABV, it's the perfect beer for a hot night on the patio behind the grill. Well done, Bill.

English Summer Ale, served on tap at Mad Fox brewpub, Falls Church, VA. Enjoyed on 09/05/10.

Appearance: A slightly hazed, pale straw yellow, replete with quick and fine effervescence that rises mercurially to the remnants of a one finger dull white head, now only a consistent sheen and some sheets of lace. The lacing is delicate, glittery, fine, like pearls on the sides of the glass.

Aroma: Like the Kolsch I just finished, very faint. Hints of dry, crackery malts and faint fruit esters are about all I'm getting out of this one.

Taste: Very biscuity, crackery - tastes like Maris Otter and pilsen. Its not too sweet or too dry, but in that nice in between zone. A faint hop bitterness and some grassy, noble hop notes accompany a hint or citrus and a nice, chalky, yeasty undertone.

Mouthfeel: Very well carbonated, and relatively moderately bodied, for an even smooth feel with a lot of elevation.

Drinkability: A good beer in an interesting style, sort of an American summer ale with an English twist. I wasn't even quite sure what style to put this down as, but I think it has enough hop character to quality as an English Pale. I enjoyed this one quite a bit - it was robust and flavorful enough that I wouldn't have minded a second glass.

Enjoyed at the brewery. Thin head on a hazy pale golden body. Aroma doesn't really pull in the advertised citra hops. Instead this one is very malty. Flavor is also very malty and very complex actually. Many malt varieties used produce musty, earthy and sweet flavors. The citra hops may contribute a bit of citrus sweetness near the finish but bitterness from malts cancel it out rapidly. Medium body with casked smoothness. It's not a bad beer but I was more interested when I saw it used citra hops. I was let down overall.

Listed at brewery as a "newer style", I don't think this fits as an English pale ale, but the category is not specified by the brewer. I rated against a lighter version: English Pale Mild Ale, as pilsner malts were used in the beer.

A: clear golden with much carbonation, sustaining a good layer of head on the surface.S: I just don't get much, but it is lager-ish in nature. There is a light copper bitterness I think, reminiscent of an English pale aleT: again, if I didn't know it was an ale, I'd rate it as a pilsner. A light malt sweetness (bread, honey, something I'll call "candied orange") combined with an even lighter grapefruit bitterness.M: for the amount of carbonation that shows, the beer is very smooth, almost like it was nitro (I didn't ask for cask).O: presenting to me as more of a lager, it didn't quite do it for me. It was fine/decent, just nothing to bring me back to it. However, this would be a decent beer to try at the brewpub if you are staring to crossover to craft beers.